Wayland's MBTA Communities Zoning Plan A 'Ruse,' Coltsway Owners Say
WAYLAND, MA — Wayland is one of dozens of towns across Massachusetts set to approve a new zoning plan to comply with the state MBTA Community law this spring, but a group of residents whose Wayland condominium development would be rezoned want to postpone the vote.Wayland's MBTA Communities zoning plan would create four separate zoning overlays where multifamily housing would be allowed. One of those overlays covers Coltsway, a condominium development with 18 residents off of Mainstone Road. Coltsway residents are organizing to ask Town Meeting to postpone a vote on the zoning plan and instead hold a special town meeting in the fall solely focused on the MBTA Communities zoning plan.Coltsway residents Bill Blum and Marc Ducrow say that the town's zoning plan was drawn to comply with the state law, but including Coltsway shows the town isn't serious about any housing being built. The chance of the Coltsway condo owners all agreeing to sell the land to a developer for a large multifamily development is near zero, they agree. Blum called the town's zoning plan a "ruse," saying he fears it'll lead to the state forcing Wayland to build denser housing on top of Coltsway when the town's zoning plan fails to produce new multifamily housing there."Look down the road, the next step will be a different [gubernatorial] administration who will say, 'OK towns, thank you for complying, now build something,'" Blum said. "I want the vote to be deferred to allow for an intelligent, realistic and truly beneficial response to this state law."Having the zoning overlay in place could also reduce property values, Ducrow said, because potential buyers might fear a future multifamily development. All the Colstway residents, Blum and Ducrow said, feel that the town didn't do enough to involve them in the planning process. The Wayland Planning Board has been working on the overlay plan for months, and held a public forum on April 24. The MBTA Communities law has been controversial since before it was added to the books. The law affects 177 cities and towns between Boston and Worcester, and requires each one to create new zones where multifamily housing would be allowed. The law does not require the construction of new homes. Under the law, Wayland is considered an "adjacent community" because it borders communities like Natick, Framingham, Weston and Lincoln that have MBTA Commuter Rail stations. Wayland has designed its zoning plan in such a way that three of the new overlays already contain denser housing — including Coltsway, the Town Center development and the Alta Oxbow development. A fourth overlay covers a triangle of land between Route 20, the Sudbury line and the Sudbury transfer station that contains office buildings. Other communities have taken a similar approach. Sudbury's MBTA Communities zones, approved Tuesday at Town Meeting, cover several existing housing developments, including the Meadow Walk area where Whole Foods is located. Both Blum and Ducrow say they support the intent of the MBTA Communities law to create opportunities to build new housing to relieve the state's housing crisis. Ducrow said the town needs new developments to bolster the tax base. "It’s such an important issue that a lot of folks in town want to know about it. I would like to see a special town meeting," he said. More than 50 towns have approved zoning plans this spring, including Acton, Medfield and Lincoln. Even if Wayland Town Meeting passes the town's zoning plan, the state Office of Housing and Livable Communities still has to approve the plan — meaning it's possible state officials will cry foul over Coltsway's inclusion. Some towns have resisted the law. Milton is the most famous case, with state officials revoking grants and suing the town after voters overturned a zoning plan earlier this year. Marblehead rejected a proposed zoning plan this week at a heated Town Meeting.Blum likened Coltsway's inclusion in the zoning plan to when the state submerged four whole towns when it created the Quabbin Reservoir. "This is a calculated attempt to sanitize and gloss over [Coltsway], which is the only parcel in the proposal where people actually live and where their homes would be erased," he said.Wayland's MBTA Communities zoning plan is Article 26 on the Town Meeting warrant. Find out more about the plan here. The article Wayland's MBTA Communities Zoning Plan A 'Ruse,' Coltsway Owners Say appeared first on Wayland, MA Patch.
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